


Gift of Hope

by mewgirl1995



Series: Barriertale [3]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Agender Chara, Agender Frisk, Flashbacks, Grief/Mourning, Hopeful Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Magic-User Frisk, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-08-28 01:32:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8425513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mewgirl1995/pseuds/mewgirl1995
Summary: After finding their way into the Underground, Frisk finds that things aren't the best down there. They help the monsters to cope with their pain, while working to solve their own inner turmoils as well.





	

The cavern was dark. Frisk rubbed at their ankle as they stood. Wincing, Frisk sighed. Even using their full strength had not slowed their descent much. Stumbling forward, Frisk headed out into the Underground. They raised a single hand, summoning a small flame to light their way. Frisk walked forward, dragging their injured ankle along the hard ground. “I’m far from where we sealed them in,” Frisk spoke aloud, glancing around at the flickering shadows. “Perhaps they haven’t come this far?” The cavern narrowed down into a hallway, which Frisk continued through to find rudimentary lights built from crystals. They waved a hand, sending the flames away. “Hello?”

Frisk continued forward, examining the lights. They appeared to be newly installed. As they turned a corner, they bumped into a monster. “Eek! So-Sorry I-I uh,” The yellow monster stuttered, collecting the scrolls she dropped all over the ground. Adjusting her glasses, the monster’s head shot back up. “Wait! You’re-”

“My name’s Frisk.” Before the monster finished, Frisk held out their hand. “I swear I won’t hurt you.”

Eyes darting across Frisk’s face, the yellow monster smiled. “Oh! You’re the human that was helping us out, right? My-my name’s Alphys!”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Frisk said with a small smile. “Are all the others nearby?” When Alphys nodded, Frisk’s heart fluttered with anticipation.

“Come on, I-I bet the king and queen will be happy to see you!” Alphys turned and began to rush off. Frisk hurried after her, wincing at each step.

Along each corridor, Frisk saw several monsters whispering to one another as they followed Alphys. A mixture of excitement and fear covered their faces. After all, Frisk had been one of the humans to seal them underground. However, Frisk had also brought many of their family members back from the brink of death. As the monsters stared, Frisk met their gazes with a small smile. They hoped it was comforting. Not much time had passed by the time Alphys led Frisk to a large house, but their ankle throbbed like they had been walking for miles. Alphys hurried up the steps and pushed open the door. The house was not extravagant like Frisk had expected. It was simple and quaint, a beautiful little house.

“Hello Alphys,” Toriel said as she turned to greet them. Her eyes widened and a hand flew up to her mouth. “Frisk! I cannot believe it is you!” With tears in her eyes, Toriel rushed forward and hugged Frisk tightly. “How have you come to be here?”

“I found a weak spot in the barrier and slipped through,” Frisk replied, returning the hug. The queen was warm. Her excitement resonated through her.

“Oh! You are hurt!” Toriel knelt and examined Frisk’s ankle. “Let me heal you.” Frisk watched with an intrigued look as the queen knelt before them and raised her hands out. A soft green light spread out from her hands, surrounding Frisk’s ankle. The soft caress of the healing magic eased the pain and Frisk watched as their ankle returned to normal.

“Thank you,” Frisk said with a small smile. As Toriel stood up again, Frisk glanced around the house. “Your home is really nice.” With a shy glance around, Frisk tucked a strand of hair behind their ear. “Um, is everyone here? In this area I mean? I uh-”

“You want to see Sans correct?” Toriel asked with a sly grin. “Oh of course, both him and Papyrus are living in Snowdin. It is the next town over.” Looking towards Alphys, Toriel continued, “Perhaps Alphys can show you the way. It is not too far.”

Frisk blushed and nodded, bowing briefly. “Thank you, your majesty.”

“Please just call me Toriel, my child.”

As Frisk followed Alphys through the city, they glanced around with an excited look. The underground was their new home. It seemed so far that the monsters had carefully crafted a beautiful place. Their magic knew no bounds. Frisk was always impressed by the clever ways they utilized magic. It was seen more like a tool by humans. They never wanted to use it to create beautiful things like the monsters did. Perhaps it was because their SOULs weren’t tied as closely to their magic.

“Uh, so what do-do you think?”

Frisk looked over at Alphys, who smiled back hesitantly. “Of the city?”

“Yeah? Is uh is it nice?”

“Of course, it’s wonderful!” With a smile, Frisk glanced around. “I look forward to living here with you all.”

A surprised look crossed Alphys’ face. “Re-Really?” Frisk nodded. “Well, I’m glad! We’ve all worked pretty hard on it. Though we um-” Alphys broke off and fidgeted with her cloak. “Well, we lost a lot of people.”

“What do you mean?” Frisk asked.

“When we were first trapped, uh, a lot of monsters fell down,” She said quietly. Glancing up and seeing the confused look on Frisk’s face, Alphys continued. “You see, with monsters are emotions are really tightly linked to our magic uh our SOULs. So if a monsters loses the will to live um they-they fall down. It’s kind of like being hurt or sick.” As she struggled to think of how to explain it, Alphys whirled and grinned broadly. “For example, all those monsters you healed. They-they had fallen down because of their injuries.” With a sad smile, Alphys pushed up her glasses. “Monsters die pretty fast after falling down.”

Unsure of how to respond, Frisk nodded. They followed Alphys down towards a passageway. Glancing up, Frisk saw Asgore and Toriel’s house above them. Together, the monster and human walked down the corridor that lead to a huge door. Alphys pushed it open and a cold breeze blew throughout the hallway. Frisk shivered and glanced forward, eyes wide with wonder. Out in front of the door was a huge forest, covered in snow. “How is this possible?” They asked with a huge grin. “This is amazing!”

The little town of Snowdin was located not too far from the door. Frisk glanced around, dancing through the snow. Their heart beat fast in their chest as their excitement grew. They couldn’t wait to see Sans again. Clasping their hands tight before them, Frisk took a deep breath. Everything would be fine again. Their new life was right there in front of them.

“Look it’s that human,” Monsters whispered to one another.

“They saved us!”

“Without them, the humans would have killed us all!”

As Frisk and Alphys continued forward, a small rabbit monster hurried over to them. She stared upwards with wide eyes. “Um, hello.”

“Hi,” Frisk said, leaning down to speak with the child.

“You saved my mom,” The little bunny said shyly. “Now she runs a shop! Our life is good here and it-it wouldn’t have been possible without you! So thank you!” The child held out a small present. Touched by the act, Frisk gently took it. Before they could respond, the child hugged them tight around the waist and then ran off.

Glancing around the town, Frisk realized that many of the monsters were looking at them with awe and respect. “Everyone knows how you helped us,” Alphys said. “Papyrus told them all about it!” Grinning, Alphys hurried forward. “Come on! I bet they’ll be happy to see you!”

At the end of town was a small house almost identical to the skeleton brothers’ home on the surface. Unable to contain their excitement any longer, Frisk raced forward. Snow flew up from their boots as they ran. They were home. Not even bothering to knock, Frisk threw open the door. “Sans! I’m-” Frisk broke off and slowed to a stop as they entered the room. Something was wrong.

“Wow really, you’re here now?” Undyne stood near a sobbing Papyrus. “How dare you!” With a snarl, Undyne turned away. “What good you did us huh? Trapping us all underground and then daring to show your face here!” Ignoring Undyne, Frisk took a hesitant step forward. Beside Undyne and Papyrus was a small cot. On that small cot laid an immobile Sans.

“Sans?” Frisk’s voice shook as they took another step forward. 

The room grew colder than the surrounding snowy town. Frisk refused to think of how much he looked like all of the injured monsters on the battlefield. He had no wounds, but his breath was weak. His eyes were closed. Frisk could barely feel the presence of his SOUL.

“HUMAN! YOU-YOU HAVE TO SAVE HIM!” Papyrus looked up, tears still rushing down his face. “YOU CAN RIGHT? SAVE HIM LIKE YOU SAVED ME?! PLEASE HUMAN!”

“Oh no,” Alphys whispered as she entered the room behind Frisk, raising her hands to her face with a horrified look.

The room began to glow red with magic as Frisk rushed forward, falling to their knees before Sans. They laid their hands across his chest, concentrating on his weak SOUL. They threw every ounce of their being into their magic, concentrating on Sans’ SOUL. Tears began to sting at their eyes, but Frisk brushed them away. Without a physical wound to focus on, Frisk struggled with their magic. Nothing was working. Out of frustration, Frisk poured more and more of their strength into their magic. Their magic flared, lighting up the whole room and surrounding them.

"Please, please, please. You can't do this. You can't die on me!" Shaking, Frisk closed their eyes, feeling tears rushing down their face. As their strength weakened, Frisk began to feel dizzy and they toppled over, losing consciousness entirely.

Everything was dark. Frisk felt cold. They couldn’t see anything and couldn’t move. As they struggled to sit up at least, Frisk caught sight of a small red glow beginning to appear from their chest. The red glow grew stronger and more defined until Frisk could make out the heart shape of their SOUL. Frisk raised their hand and touched their SOUL. It pulsed, sending out a wave of glowing magic. As the light illuminated the dark space, Frisk caught sight of another SOUL. It’s white light glowed weakly, but Frisk recognized it.

“Sans!” Frisk struggled to their knees and began to crawl over to the other SOUL. The darkness suffocated them, trying to prevent any movement. “It’s okay! I’m here now, please don’t lose hope!” As Frisk approached, they reached out to catch the dimly lit SOUL. Pulling it to their own, Frisk trembled. “I can save you. I’m strong enough.” Smiling, Frisk forced their SOULs together. “Please don’t give up. I love you.” Glowing bright, the two SOULs pulsed together, spreading out a combination of red and white light. It pushed away the darkness, filling the empty place with brilliant light instead.

Once the light disappeared and Frisk opened their eyes they found themselves staring up at Papyrus and Alphys’ worried faces. “Oh you’re alright!” Alphys said, breathing out a relieved sigh. “We were uh really worried and-”

“WHAT DID YOU DO?” Papyrus asked with an excited look. “THERE WAS A FLASH OF MAGIC AND WHILE MY BROTHER’S STILL NOT AWAKE THERE’S THIS-”

“Still not awake?” Frisk sat up, feeling a bit woozy. As they raised their right hand, Frisk caught sight of a glowing red band of magic surrounding their wrist. “What’s this?”

“YOU DON’T KNOW?” Papyrus asked, glancing over to Sans with a confused look. Frisk followed his gaze and was surprised to see an identical red band of magic around Sans’ own wrist.

“Well whatever you did, it didn’t fix Sans!” Undyne said, scowling at Frisk. “What good are you?”

Frisk stood, a smile coming to their face. “It will,” They said. “I linked our SOULs together.” Intertwining their hands together, Frisk stared at the glowing red circlets with a loving look. “Monsters can fall down when they lose hope right? But if you restore it, you can save them. All I need to do is restore a bit of Sans’ hope. Perhaps give him some of mine?” As their grin grew wider, Frisk turned back to the others. “It will work. It will just take some time.”

Undyne snorted and rolled her eyes before walking away, but Alphys and Papyrus looked hopeful. “I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!” Papyrus exclaimed, hugging Frisk tight. "THANK YOU SO MUCH HUMAN!"

Crushed by his hug, Frisk managed to nod. They glanced down to their wrist, staring at the glowing red light. They hoped they were right. Regardless, they had to do everything in their power to increase their own hope and the hope of monsters all around them. Frisk glanced to Undyne, who was sulking by the door. It seemed like it would be harder to convince some of the monsters. Still, it was too late to turn back.

To celebrate Frisk’s arrival, Papyrus dragged them to a local tavern. “IT’S NOT MY FAVORITE PLACE,” Papyrus said with an agitated sigh. “BUT SANS ADORES IT FOR SOME REASON!”

When Papyrus pushed open the door and waltzed in with Frisk all eyes whipped over to them and it fell silent. Frisk managed a shy little wave. Then, the whole tavern erupted into loud shouts of surprise and joy.

“We heard the human who saved us was back!” A small bunny said, leaping to her feet.

“I cannot believe it’s really you!”

“Human friend! Human friend!” A pair of dogs barked as they surrounded Frisk, who laughed awkwardly.

“Hello there,” They said, giving the dogs a tentative pat on the head. “Nice to meet you.”

“Out of my way!” Through the crowd of monsters, one shoved their way through. To Frisk’s shock, it was the first monster they ever saved. The bird’s eyes widened in pure shock.

“Hello again,” Frisk said softly. They reached out their hand. “Nice to see you-”

The bird monster rushed forward and pulled them into a tight hug. “Thank you,” They whispered. “Thank you so much.” Startled, Frisk smiled and hugged them back. “I was scared at the time and didn’t really get to thank you completely, but what you did for me was amazing. I’ll never forget it.”

Unable to find the right words, Frisk nodded. A few tears of joy stung at their eyes. In the end, they really had made a difference. The monsters surrounding them treated them like they were a hero. Even if they all had been trapped underground, Frisk had spared everyone’s lives. They would get the opportunity to live on. Surrounded by the new friends, Frisk smiled. “I’m so glad to meet you all,” They said. “And I promise to do right by you! I will do everything I can to help you with anything you need!” Their words were meant with a roar of applause. The ring of red magic began to glow a bit more.

Over the next several days Frisk helped out around Snowdin. The monsters had done a spectacular job at creating their new homes, but some needed a little help fine-tuning details. Frisk was delighted to help them. It continued on at that peaceful pace until the king and queen came to visit. Frisk was in the middle of helping to fasten a support beam inside the inn where they heard Toriel call out, “Hello there Frisk! How are you today?”

“Oh! Your majesty um I mean Toriel,” Frisk stuttered as they awkwardly bowed. “Oh and King Asgore! Hello again!” Frisk bowed once more before glancing up at the king and queen. The rabbit monsters who owned the inn had rushed over to their rulers with excited smiles. Instead of bowing, they greeted them with hugs.

“Nice to you again!”

“How goes it King Fluffybuns?”

Shocked, Frisk abruptly stood. No human would dare be so casual with their own rulers. Though Frisk was becoming friends with all the monsters, they still seemed to have a lot to learn. After taking in a deep sigh, Frisk tried to loosen up and then walked over to the king and queen. “How are you?” They asked with a smile.

“Well,” Asgore said, grinning. “We were more curious about how you are fitting in.”

“Well, I would hope,” Frisk said, glancing at the rabbit monsters.

The innkeeper nodded and patted Frisk on the back. “This human’s been amazing for us! Don’t steal them away now.”

Laughing, Toriel shook her head and replied, “Of course not. We thought we would just come visit.” Gesturing away from the inn, Toriel smiled at Frisk. “Would you care for a walk dear?”

“Oh,” Frisk said, a little surprised. “Sure.”

As the snow drifted down, Frisk walked along with the two monsters. They mostly listened to the couple’s conversation and only added in a few words every now and again. Then, the conversation turned to a more difficult topic. “I have had a feeling about this for a long time now,” Toriel began with a quiet tone. “May I ask you a difficult question?”

“Of course,” Frisk said.

With a sigh, Toriel clenched her paw and smiled at Frisk. The queen was trembling. “A very long time ago, my two children met another human in the forest. A human who refused to give their name for they did not have one. I remember Chara especially thought it was odd.” Frisk pulled their cloak closer, wrapping themselves tighter into it. “But nevertheless, they seemed to enjoy this friend. A friend who used fiery red magic and had golden eyes.” Chuckling, Toriel glanced to Frisk. “I never connected the two until…recently.”

“Perhaps you were that friend?” Asgore asked. “Or we’re getting ahead of ourselves and-”

“I did know your children,” Frisk said quietly. They had hopped the topic would never come up, but once it did. There was no going back. “I befriended them when we were children and I was there when Bravery killed Asriel.”

Both Asgore and Toriel stopped in their tracks. “Wh-What?” Toriel managed to say. Frisk’s bottom lip trembled and they turned back to face the monster rulers, who both had looks of shock on their face.

“Maybe I should start from the beginning?” Frisk said. Their own voice was already beginning to shake. “I met Asriel one day when I was out in the woods, avoiding my training.”

Spring had just begun and all of the trees were growing their leaves back. Frisk had been out exploring in the forest, avoiding Integrity at all costs. They leapt from tree to tree, reaching out and catching branches to swing from. Then, as they swung forward, the young Frisk made a mistake and misjudged their distance. With a scream, they hurtled toward the ground and landed in a bush. “Ow,” Frisk muttered, examining themselves for scrapes. As Frisk struggled to remove themselves from the bush, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Hello?” A voice cried out. Then, a young goat monster came racing around the bend. “Oh!  Hello! Are you hurt?” The monster offered a paw to Frisk, who instinctively flinched back. “My name’s Asriel. What’s yours?”

“I-I don’t have a name,” Frisk whispered. In their recent induction ceremony into the sorcerer’s academy, Frisk’s entire identity had been stripped from them. Integrity told them that they would get a name again in due time, though in reality Frisk would never stop thinking of themselves as Frisk.

“Um…that’s weird, but okay.” Asriel continued to grin. “Do you need help up?”

Frisk nodded and reached out their hand. Asriel’s paw was soft and furry. The monster pulled them up easily. “Thanks,” Frisk said.

“No problem!” He nodded over towards a meadow near the trees. “I heard your scream and was worried. Chara thought I was just hearing things, but I never make these things up.” He puffed out his chest a little. “I have to keep a close eye on my kingdom.”

Frisk nodded. They were absolutely fascinated by the monster. They had only heard of them in tales and lectures at the academy. Supposedly, the monsters were beasts ruled by emotion, but Asriel didn’t seem scary. Frisk had wandered into supposed enemy territory and the friendly monster just wanted to help them out. “Is Chara your friend?” Frisk asked.

“Chara’s my sibling,” Asriel said proudly. “Come on! You can come meet them!” Asriel tugged on Frisk’s hand. “We’ll have all sorts of fun together!” With that, the monster prince dragged them off.

For a while, everything was fine. Frisk continued to sneak off and meet with the Royal Children, but as their lessons got more and more intense Frisk had to stay at the human castle. So when they heard that the King wanted to send two sorcerers to meet with the monster prince, Frisk was the first the volunteer. Had they known what would happen, Frisk would have never wanted to go.

“I wonder what those monsters look like,” Bravery said as they rode towards the monster castle. “Probably just as ugly as in the storybooks.”

“They do not,” Frisk protested, but her companion continued on.

“Maybe they’ll attack us and I’ll get to kill one!” The sorcerer laughed and ran a hand through his hair. “Wouldn’t that be great?” Frisk gritted their teeth and did not say anything. As the two sorcerers reached the clearing, Frisk spotted the two Dreemur siblings. A huge grin leapt to their face.

“Hello Asriel! Hello Chara!” They exclaimed as they leapt from their horse.

“Howdy!” Asriel said. He hugged Frisk first, grinning the whole time. “I never thought I’d see you again!”

“You’re like a ghost,” Chara commented with a sharp grin. “Appearing and disappearing whenever you please.” The human Dreemur reached out and gave Frisk a more tentative hug. “Nice to see you. Do you have a name yet?”

Before Frisk could reply, Bravely sharply called out, “Determination! What the hell are you doing?”

Whirling around, Frisk shot the other sorcerer a stern look. “May I present to you Prince Asriel Dreemur and his sibling Chara Dreemur.” Asriel extended his hand to Bravery who ignored the gesture and shot a disgusted glare at Chara.

“Do you have a problem?” Chara growled, taking a threatening step towards Bravery.

“Why in the world is a human living amongst monster royalty?” Bravery said, but before Chara could reply, he turned to Asriel. “It doesn’t truly matter though. We have business to discuss, prince.”

“Of course,” Asriel said and puffed out his chest. Chara smirked and rolled their eyes, while Frisk giggled.

“Our king plans to dam the river,” Bravery said. Frisk nodded. They had been briefed on this earlier. It was the two sorcerers’ jobs to decide on a fair trade agreement in return for the water. “We thank you in advance for your cooperation.” Frisk frowned.

“What you mean to ask,” They began to say. “Is how can we cooperate to make this project a success? Perhaps a trade agreement or-”

“There won’t be any cooperation here,” Bravery said, whirling around on his heel. “We will do what we want.” Shocked, the two Dreemur siblings glanced to Frisk, who glared back at Bravery.

“No, we will not.” Frisk marched over to him, but before they could speak again, the older sorcerer whirled on them.

“I allowed you to come along with me,” Bravery said. “You may be strong, but you don’t know anything about anything. You’re still young and naïve.” He laughed and shoved them back. “And a monster sympathizer!”

“Get your hands off of them!” Chara yelled and drew their sword.

“Chara stop!” Asriel reached out to grab their arm, but Chara shoved him off.

“We reject any attempt at stealing our kingdom’s water,” Chara snapped. “And I will not allow you to treat my friend like that!”

Bravery rolled his eyes and drew his own sword. “You are worst then a monster sympathizer,” He said. “Living amongst them must have really made you brainless, huh?”

From there, everything launched into chaos. “You don’t know anything about us!” Chara yelled, taking a threatening step forward. “Leave now! Tell you stupid king that there will be no dam, or we will tear it down!”

“We would destroy any monster that even tried.”

“Yeah right! You may have your handful of sorcerers, but every monster can use magic!”

“It pales compared to ours!”

“Shut up!”

Frisk rushed over and tried to stop the fight, but Bravery lashed out at them, slicing them across their cheek with his sword. “Stay out of this!”

“Leave them alone!” Chara swung at Bravery, but the sorcerer used his magic to fling their sword from their grip. Then, in one swift movement, he stabbed Chara straight through their chest.

“No!” Asriel screamed, rushing forward. He caught Chara as they fell backwards. “No! No! No! Chara! Chara!” Tears rushed down his face as his younger sibling began to hack up blood.

“Chara!” Frisk raced over as well, hurrying to save their friend, but their head was spinning. Blood dripped down from their wound, smearing across their cheek and neck. By the time Frisk started to heal Chara, they were already gone.

“NO!” Asriel’s wails of anguish filled the meadow. Bravery smirked and began to walk away, but a bright light caught his attention. Hovering above Chara’s chest was their glowing red SOUL. In his grief, Asriel reached out to touch it and chaos broke loose. The force from the fusion of Asriel’s SOUL to Chara’s threw Frisk back and the shockwave blasted through the entire meadow. Woozy from their loss of blood, Frisk managed to sit up in time to see Asriel. The fusion of Chara’s SOUL with his created an impressive monster. Their combined strength appeared to shake the whole valley, but Asriel was confused. He hadn’t realized what had happened and did not see Bravery’s sword until it was plunged deep into his chest.

When Frisk finished their tale, they were shaking. Tears rushed down their face as they fell to their knees before the king and queen. “I’m so sorry,” Frisk whispered. “I couldn’t save your children. I couldn’t do anything. I was so weak.”

In an instant, both Asgore and Toriel were beside them, hugging them tight. “It is alright,” Toriel whispered between quiet sobs. “You did what you could.”

“And you have done so much for us now,” Asgore said. The king trembled as he cried. “Thank you, thank you for being our childrens’ friend.”

Shocked by their kindness, Frisk fell silent and hugged them tight. The guilt of failing Asriel and Chara had loomed over them for a while. They had tried to erase it from their mind, but ultimately failed. To finally be forgiven for their inability to protect their friends was wonderful. The sharp pain they carried with them since that day faded away. Unnoticed by Frisk, the red circlet of magic began to glow even brighter.

When Frisk returned back to Sans’ and Papyrus’ home, they were exhausted. Walking inside, Frisk dropped their cloak by the door before going to sit by Sans. He still hadn’t turned to dust, but he showed no signs of waking. Frisk reached out and stroked his face, smiling to themselves. “Don’t worry my love,” They said softly. “I won’t fail you like I failed them.” A few tears slipped down their face, but Frisk brushed them away. “I can give you your hope back.” Trembling, Frisk leaned forward and kissed Sans’ forehead. “I promise. I’ll save you.” Exhausted, Frisk leaned their head back and closed their eyes, reaching out and grasping Sans’ hand in theirs. “I’m here now. When you wake up, I’ll be here for you.” In their dreams, Frisk remembered their first meetings with Sans. The scenes slipped away from them too fast as dreams always did. They woke feeling lonely, but brushed the feeling away. It was up to Frisk to provide enough hope to save Sans. They would do it, no matter what it took.

“HURRY ALONG FRISK!” Papyrus called as they marched out towards the next town over. “UNDYNE WILL BE EXPECTING US!”

“I doubt she’ll be happy to see us,” Frisk said quietly, but hurried to follow Papyrus anyway.

Waterfall was as beautiful as it’s name suggested. Dancing through the puddles, Frisk laughed as they kicked up water. It was much warmer than Snowdin. As Papyrus and Frisk approached Undyne’s house, Frisk slipped off their cloak and pulled up their sleeves. The red ring of magic glowed brightly from their wrist. Smiling fondly, Frisk reached out and touched it. “WE’RE HERE!” Papyrus announced. “UNDYNE! HELLO?” He knocked loudly and within a few moments, Undyne appeared at the door.

“Hey Papyrus,” She said with a grin which vanished the instant she saw Frisk. “Human.”

“My name’s Frisk.”

Undyne rolled her eyes and stepped outside, slamming the door behind her. “I know that.” She turned to Papyrus and sighed. “What exactly did you have in mind Papyrus?”

“I FOUND A PERFECT SPOT FOR US ALL TO HANG OUT!” Papyrus exclaimed. “COME ON!” As he hurried off, Undyne shot an unsure glance at Frisk. “HURRY UP SLOWPOKES!”

“Coming!” Frisk said with a smile and then rushed after him. Undyne followed more slowly. “Um, so how do you like it in Waterfall?”

“It’s nothing compared to the surface,” Undyne said sharply.

“Oh, well, it’s very beautiful.”

“It’d be a nice place to visit, not the greatest to spend the rest of my life trapped in.”

Frisk sighed and glanced down, tugging at the loose strings on their cloak. Everyone else in the Underground seemed to have forgiven them. Why did Undyne hold such a strong grudge against them? “I’m sorry for whatever I’ve done to you,” Frisk whispered before running ahead to catch up with Papyrus. They missed the surprised look on Undyne’s face.

“HERE IT IS!” Papyrus declared as he gestured to a massive lake with a waterfall trailing off the edge. Towards the center of the lake was Alphys, who had constructed a pair of rafts. “IT’S THE ONLY SPOT BIG ENOUGH FOR OUR BOAT RACE!”

“He-Hey Undyne,” Alphys said with a timid wave.

“Oh, you didn’t say Alphys was going to be here!” Undyne’s frown disappeared. To Frisk’s surprise, she looked absolutely ecstatic. “Alphys! What’s up?”

Alphys’ face flushed bright red. “Oh, uh, no-nothing much. Uh, I-”

“COME ON UNDYNE! NO TIME TO WASTE!” Papyrus shoved Undyne towards Frisk. “YOU AND FRISK AGAINST ALPHYS AND I!”

Undyne shot a glare over at Frisk, whose face began to look very pale. “Forget that!”

“It’ll be fun!” Alphys said. “Uh, don’t you want to beat us at the race?”

Undyne mulled over the concept of winning then sighed. “Fine! One race!”

The pond was not very deep and Frisk wondered if the race was just one thrown together attempt at getting Undyne to become friends with them. As they sat together in the raft, Frisk glanced over at Papyrus. He gave them a grin and a thumbs up.

“ON THREE! FIRST ONE TO THE OTHER SIDE WINS!” Papyrus said. “ONE! TWO! THREE!”

Both Undyne and Papyrus paddled furiously, leaving Frisk and Alphys to hold on for dear life. Frisk managed to raise a hand and urge the boat forward with a bit of magic, giving them a tiny bit of a lead. Undyne noticed the red glow and sent a smile in Frisk’s direction. “Guess you’re not completely useless!” She whirled to look at Papyrus. “Guess you can’t keep up with us!”

Frustrated, Papyrus attempted to paddle faster and shoved his oar in too deep. There was a crack as the wooden oar snapped on the rocky bottom and sent Papyrus and Alphys’ boat spinning out of control. “OH NO! I HAVE MADE A GRAVE ERROR!”

Alphys smacked her own oar against the water, trying to regain control. Before she could, the raft fell over the edge of the waterfall. “Alphys! Papyrus!” Undyne leapt from her and Frisk’s raft, landing knee deep  in the water. “NO!” Frisk raced after Undyne, hands glowing red with their magic. As soon as they reached the edge, they fell to their knees and stared down into the abyss, feeling for the presence of Papyrus and Alphys’ SOULs.

“Come back,” Frisk whispered, beginning to feel the magic’s strain on their SOUL. Using magic on an unseen person was difficult, but not impossible. After a moment, Frisk caught sight of their friends. They both appeared to be unharmed.

“Th-thank goodness,” Alphys stuttered as Frisk brought them closer. “I thought we were goners.”

“NOT WHILE FRISK IS HERE!”

As soon as Alphys and Papyrus were safe on the ground, Undyne pulled them into a hug. The fish monster was a bawling mess as she hugged them tight. “Don’t ever do something so freaking stupid again!” She yelled. Frisk smiled and sighed in relief, catching Undyne’s attention. “Thanks…Frisk.”

With a huge smile, Frisk nodded. “Of course. You’re all my friends too.” The red circlet of magic around their wrist grew even brighter. The light pulsed, drawing everyone’s attention to it. As they watch, the ring grew larger and larger then burst, lighting up the whole cavern with a warm red color. When it faded, Frisk saw the circlet of magic was gone. Their SOUL’s connection to Sans’ was gone. Heart pounding, Frisk leapt to their feet.

“FRISK? WHAT JUST HAPPENED?”

Panicked and full of hope at the same time, Frisk do not answer, but turned to run back towards Snowdin. Their pace quickened as they splashed through puddles and leapt over deeper rivers. Was Sans alright? Or had Frisk’s magic failed? Had he died? The cold breeze of Snowdin began to freeze the water to their soaks and tunic. Unfortunately, their cloak had been abandoned somewhere back in Waterfall. As Frisk turned the corner, they let out a gasp of surprise.

“frisk?” Sans turned, eyes widening. Before he could say another word, Frisk hugged him tight, knocking both of them to ground.

“It worked! I saved you!” Frisk sobbed, hugging him tight. “I saved you.”

“you’re really here?” Sans hugged Frisk back, running a hand through their hair. “you’re soaking wet sweetheart.”

With tears streaming from their eyes, Frisk pulled back and grinned at Sans. “I’ve never been so happy in my life.” They pulled him forward and kissed him. “I love you! I love you more than anything.”

“i can’t believe you’re really here,” Sans said softly. “i never thought i’d see ya again.” He looked embarrassed. “i gave up hope…in everything.” With a smile, Sans pulled off his cloak and wrapped it around Frisk’s shoulders. “guess we have a lot of catching up to do, huh frisk?” Leaning his forward against theirs, Sans said, “love ya too.”


End file.
